When RAYE released Escapism as an independent artist in October 2022, the song’s pan-European radio campaign was handled by UK-headquartered plugging specialist Propeller Communications.
Within months, it was charting in more than 20 European territories, before going on to hit No.1 on the UK Singles Chart in early 2023.
Three-and-a-half years later, Tom Rose’s company, now officially rebranded as GRAPE.VN (pronounced Grapevine), is still RAYE’s radio team across Europe.
And in 2026, with the now-superstar’s hit single Where Is My Husband! (Human Re Sources/The Orchard), GRAPE.VN delivered one of its most ambitious pan-EU results yet: Top 10 airplay in 18 markets.
“This would have previously been a huge investment and coordination job [for a distributor] to service that many markets,” Rose tells MBW. He explains that GRAPE.VN is “labelled as disruptive” because the firm doesn’t have “people on the ground in each country”.
Instead, GRAPE.VN employs “a team of polyglots,” who, according to Rose, “speak pretty much every language in Europe across our small team”.
He adds: “We still pick up the phone and try to visit every major station at least a couple of times per year, but we rely on great systems, clear communication of story, data that matters, and building respect with our connections to deliver results that previously were perhaps only attainable with on-the-ground promoters.”
After a decade of trading under the Propeller name, Rose is relaunching the company as a multi-service independent music business offering radio, PR, management, brand partnerships, and label services under a single roof.
“We’re much more than a radio company,” says Rose.
The radio arm, once the whole business and now one of five verticals, remains the engine.
Led by Head of Radio Espen Blödorn-Mentzoni, it delivered more than 300 placements in the top 200 airplay charts across 30 European countries in 2025, running campaigns for Gorillaz, Wunderhorse, MOLIY, WizTheMC, Sonny Fodera, Zerb and Swedish House Mafia. This year has already seen chart success for RAYE, The Neighbourhood, Justé, Sam Feldt and Prospa. Among the new clients are UK indie band Blossoms (for both radio and PR).
The company’s roots run back to 2014, when Norwegian indie label Propeller Recordings launched its UK operation with Rose at the helm. Two years in, while overseeing international marketing for the label, Rose grew frustrated that Propeller’s artists had music with genuine pan-European appeal, but that hiring top-tier radio pluggers in each individual market was expensive.
His response: over the course of a year, he and a small team scoured the European Broadcasting Union’s network of public radio stations and cold-built relationships with music heads, one by one. That contact base became the foundation of everything that followed.
By the time Rose exited as MD of Propeller Recordings in 2018 to launch his own label and management business, the radio arm he’d built had quietly become a pan-EU powerhouse. “People were tired of being ripped off by ineffective pluggers at the bottom end of the market and sky-high prices for effective pluggers,” he says.
The 2026 rebrand is, in essence, the formal unveiling of an operation that’s been quietly expanding for a couple of years already.
The new PR division is led by Michael Cleary (formerly of Beggars/XL, Sony/Columbia and WMA), and has already run campaigns for Jason Derulo, Blossoms, grandson, Master Peace, Claire Rosinkranz, and Island [Records UK]’s Westside Cowboy.
The management roster includes ADMT, who releases his debut LP From Good To Bad And Then Back Again via BMG on May 15 and is currently supporting Louis Tomlinson on a UK/European arena tour. Also on the roster: St. Lundi, co-managed in North America with ex-RCA Co-President Joe Riccitelli, who has amassed over 200 million streams. Dance/pop producer Marcus Wiles has also just been added.
On the label side, Finola Doran (Head of Rock and Alt on the radio team) now leads new imprint Fly Tip Records, whose recent signings include London trio Dead Air, fresh off a UK headline tour and a support slot with Skindred.
And through a JV with Lars Bendix Düysen, (a former VP of Partnerships at Sony Music GSA), who has overseen deals for the likes of Tate McRae and 21 Savage via his Bendix Entertainment business, GRAPE.VN is now offering pan-European artist brand partnerships. The first deal is set to go live in June, alongside “some huge seven-figure global deals in negotiation”, according to Rose.
The team has also just been bolstered by two appointments: New hire Lewis Cleaver, formerly of Sony Music, joins Rose on the management side, while long-time Propeller exec Kevin Benz continues to lead business development in his role as Director of Partnerships.
“WE’RE 100% INDEPENDENT, OPERATE ON OUR PROFITS AND ARE WELL KNOWN FOR OUR SPECIALISM. BUT WE’RE AMBITIOUS. OUR GOAL IS TO BE A BIG PLAYER WITHIN THE WIDER MUSIC SERVICES MARKET.”
TOM ROSE, GRAPE.VN
Here, Tom Rose tells MBW why now was the right moment to rebrand, why “disruptive” radio promotion in 2026 looks very different to the old plugger model, why PR still matters in the streaming age, and more…
PROPELLER HAS BEEN A KNOWN NAME IN EUROPEAN RADIO PROMOTION FOR OVER A DECADE. WHY REBRAND NOW, AND WHY GRAPE.VN?
We’ve discussed rebranding since 2018, but our focus is always on the services we offer first and foremost. Over the last 12 months, we’ve come a long way in the variety of services that we offer, working alongside some of the most reputable artists globally. It felt like an apt time to relaunch.
As for the new name, I like people questioning how it’s spelt, and it feels fun. It sums up what we aim to achieve: ‘I heard it through the grapevine…’
THE COMPANY ORIGINALLY GREW OUT OF PROPELLER RECORDINGS, THE NORWAY-BASED LABEL. HOW DID THE JOURNEY FROM LABEL OFFSHOOT TO STANDALONE, MULTI-SERVICE COMPANY UNFOLD, AND AT WHAT POINT DID YOU REALISE THE OLD NAME NO LONGER FIT?
We started as an offshoot of Propeller Recordings, but I left as MD of the label in 2018 to start my own label and management business. Although the CEO of Propeller Recordings is still a shareholder in the radio part of the business, we operate as totally different entities.
I was managing Au/Ra at the time and had a successful couple of years overseeing the release of Panic Room with CamelPhat and Darkside with Alan Walker. We also took on Seeb for management and delivered brilliant releases with artists like Bastille, and remixes for Taylor Swift.
The radio business was fundamentally built to service Propeller Recordings artists, but it soon became clear that there was a big demand for a pan-EU radio services company. People were tired of being ripped off by ineffective pluggers at the bottom end of the market and sky-high prices for effective pluggers. Our goal was to test the market before investing in territory-specific promo. Fast forward 10 years, and we’re now equally effective compared to top-tier pluggers across most markets in Europe.
In 2024, we started looking at other services we could offer. We’ve added pan-EU PR, a brand partnership JV, and we also take on artists and labels on a consultancy basis when we find super-smart people with a monster hit on their hands who haven’t run a label before, or artists with amazing songs who are in need of creative guidance.
THE CORE PROPOSITION OF GRAPE.VN IS BRINGING RADIO, PR, MANAGEMENT, LABEL SERVICES AND CONSULTANCY UNDER ONE ROOF. WHY DOES THAT MATTER IN 2026, AND WHAT’S THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF BUNDLING THESE SERVICES?
The competitive advantage is the sheer breadth of our work and contact base. We work with pretty much everyone in one capacity or another. We see how hits are made, not six months ago, but today, and how artists are successfully developed. We’re aware of touring opportunities and are able to present appealing options both to and for our clients.
It’s clear that the road for true artist development is still a long one. You can make shortcuts with breakthrough songs and opportunity, but tenacity wins long-term.
WHERE ARE YOU SEEING THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES IN EUROPE RIGHT NOW, AND WHICH MARKETS ARE THE HARDEST TO CRACK?
From a radio perspective, Poland is often viewed as a wildcard, but it’s a really key market for us.
We’ve worked several No.1 airplay records over there in the last couple of years, and it always has a tangible effect on overall consumption.
“Things don’t happen overnight, but when you have enough of a story, things can really catch fire.”
France is often seen as a tricky market, as is the UK. However, French radio networks just need to be approached at the right time. Things don’t happen overnight, but when you have enough of a story, things can really catch fire, like we’re starting to see with RAYE in France currently.
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY WHICH VIRAL TRACKS HAVE GENUINE POTENTIAL AT RADIO, AND WHAT’S YOUR HIT RATE?
For us, it’s the case of trial and error, informing our strategy moving forward. Some genres are very hard in Europe. As a rule, you need pace, a big moment in the first 60 seconds and a build throughout the song that leads the listener to want to listen again. Sometimes that can vary [if] the consumption data is so strong, or it’s a specialist record looking for tastemaker support. But for hits, it’s a bit of a formula.
“For hits, it’s a bit of a formula.”
We’ve worked some hugely successful songs that have attained hundreds of thousands of spins, and sometimes it just doesn’t work. Radio networks do a lot of testing, so we can start strong in a market by selling wider consumption data, and then the song tests badly on a playlist.
We’re honest about expectations. People can always send us music and we’ll give our best input on the record. We say no to a lot of songs. We value our contacts on both sides, so we only take on music that we believe has some sort of commercial potential across our network.
THERE’S A LONG-RUNNING DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER RADIO STILL MATTERS IN THE STREAMING AGE. WHERE DO YOU STAND, AND WHAT DOES THE DATA TELL YOU ABOUT RADIO’S ROLE IN BREAKING RECORDS ACROSS EUROPE TODAY?
It’s all important. PR was seen as becoming irrelevant, but tastemakers help build tribes around artists, and this affects streaming, as algorithms scan press to identify artists’ true popularity. Radio is the same. If you get one or two plays on a college radio station in Germany, you won’t see any impact. But if that’s all you’re getting, there’s a chance that the music is not connecting anyway.
“PR was seen as becoming irrelevant, but tastemakers help build tribes around artists, and this affects streaming, as algorithms scan press to identify artists’ true popularity.”
If you have multiple mainstream radio playlists on networks across a market, this will build awareness of the song and artist. It will send people to consume on other platforms, help those revered algorithms and have a tangible effect on live within the market.
Across Europe, it’s part of the mix and has value. A prime example is Europe’s biggest market, Germany. Their airplay chart is where a lot of hits start across most genres outside of domestic rap. Likewise, having your song in high rotation at VRT Studio Brussel will lead to mainstream recognition and sold-out shows in Belgium. Fact.
THE PR ARM IS RELATIVELY NEW. YOU’VE ALREADY WORKED ON JASON DERULO’S PAN-EUROPEAN TOUR, THE NEW BLOSSOMS CAMPAIGN AND EMERGING ACTS LIKE WESTSIDE COWBOY AND CLAIRE ROSINKRANZ. WHAT GAP IN THE MARKET DID YOU SEE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BUILD THIS IN-HOUSE?
We were asked time and time again about PR. If an artist is playing a summer run of festivals, there will be press opportunities in every market, and we can help to maximise awareness.
If you’re a cool indie band with buzz in your market, there are outlets to bring along to your first shows. A good example is Island’s Westside Cowboy, who had a great press run into their most recent EP, then supported Geese, and there’s now a lot of anticipation towards their debut LP.
There are of course many artists that don’t fit into the press landscape in Europe. There are fewer outlets in each market. With a huge amount of international experience, we’re well-positioned to tell teams what will work and won’t, and we pass on as much as we take on.
It took us a while to find the right person, but we partnered with Michael Cleary, formerly of Beggars/XL, Sony/Columbia and WMA, to lead the PR business. He understands the craft of building a story and how to communicate it.
ADMT IS RELEASING HIS DEBUT LP IN MAY AND SUPPORTING LOUIS TOMLINSON ON A UK/EUROPEAN ARENA TOUR. TELL US ABOUT THE A&R JOURNEY WITH HIM.
I discovered ADMT at one of his first shows. He wrote a song called Man Now, a powerful record about not having a strong father figure in his life. We released his first record in the first month of lockdown in 2020, and it’s been a long road to where we are now. We’ve had a few false starts, but we licensed his music to Jamie Nelson [SVP, new recordings] at BMG [in the UK].
We work with their team a lot and I love their attitude towards artist development. It’s a can-do approach that sometimes feels rare in larger companies, especially if you want to be international with your artists.
They live up to their promises and have really invested in upping the game for ADMT. I can’t wait for his debut album to drop next month. Our own EU tour in May/June will be sold out over the next week or so, so it’s exciting times for sure.
ARE THERE OTHER MANAGEMENT SIGNINGS IN THE PIPELINE? WHAT DOES THE IDEAL GRAPE.VN MANAGEMENT CLIENT LOOK LIKE?
Another priority is St. Lundi, who we’ve been developing since 2020. We’ve worked in the indie space with him and amassed 200 million streams. Whilst we’ve not had a ‘hit’ yet, we’re building nicely and have partnered with Joe Riccitelli, ex-President of RCA, for management in North America.
He’s about to record three EPs in three cities over the next 18 months, in LA, Nashville and Stockholm, embedding himself in the creative communities of each. He just sold out 18 of 20 shows on his recent UK/EU tour last month, so there’s great momentum on his side as well.
We’ve also set up Fly Tip Records with Finola Doran, our Head of Rock and Alt, and have a brilliant band called Dead Air just starting to tour Europe, plus a talented dance/pop producer called Marcus Wiles, who’s managed by our Director of Partnerships, Kevin Benz.
We’re looking for talent that has no ceiling, and we’re willing to invest the time needed to build a business around each artist. As such, we can’t take a lot on, but we’ve just appointed Lewis Cleaver, ex-Sony, similarly tenacious, with a good amount of experience in emerging markets, to work with me on the management department.
We’re definitely up for expanding the roster under his oversight and also partnering with non-UK/EU managers who want to make deep connections into Europe for their artists.
YOU’VE RECENTLY PARTNERED WITH LARS BENDIX, SVP OF BRAND PARTNERSHIPS AT SONY GSA, THROUGH BENDIX ENTERTAINMENT, TO OFFER PAN-EUROPEAN ARTIST BRAND PARTNERSHIPS. HOW DID THAT RELATIONSHIP COME ABOUT?
I met Lars on a promo run in Germany. He’s got 20-plus years of experience in the cultural marketing space with brands, and the company he’s building is unique in offering an empirical solution to artist and brand partnerships. I’d not seen something like this before.
That, and the fact he’s got real gravitas in the space (having overseen huge global partnership deals for artists like Tate McRae, 21 Savage and many others) really excited me. He’s also a warm character and fun to work with.
We’re growing a powerful network of connections in the brand and agency space. Our first partnership with a Red Light artist and pan-EU brand is set to go live in June, alongside some huge seven-figure global deals in negotiation. We’re unaffiliated with agencies and labels, so we focus solely on the right artists for each project with no bias. Between Lars and I, there’s no barrier to conversations on both sides of the table.
WHERE DO YOU WANT GRAPE.VN TO BE IN TWO YEARS’ TIME, IN TERMS OF ROSTER SIZE, REVENUE AND REPUTATION?
We’d like to grow our revenue without taking on a million and one new artists. We’d like to build scale by building the careers of our artists.
Maybe a couple more signings, and some partnerships with larger artists wanting a UK/EU home. We want to form more relationships with innovative service providers that can add to our offering. There are some projects in other spaces that are just starting out as well, so our reputation and revenue will continue to strengthen.
IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS IN 2026, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
Inequality, and the lack of opportunities for artists from limited means. Whilst there are breakthroughs and viral sensations, for an artist to invest the time and money needed to build a business for themselves, it feels harder and harder to do so when you’re from a less wealthy background.
To take time off work to tour, the sheer cost of recording and marketing your music properly is not for the faint of heart. It must be next to impossible for anyone on a lower income level to feed themselves while making the investment to break through.
This is bad for music because talent isn’t solely an attribute of wealth.
There are some initiatives that we’ve benefited from in the UK, such as the BPI‘s amazing MEGS scheme, which supported St. Lundi. He left his hometown at 21 with just £50 in his bank account and built a life from scratch on his own.
I’d like to see some of these schemes properly means-tested for generational wealth. I’ve no idea how that could happen, but the reality is it takes a lot more than £50k to fully nurture talent. There are a lot of things I could mention, but financial inequality for artists is at the top.
Music Business Worldwide